The Prophecy Fulfilled
by sylver rain
Summary: Chapter 5: Sasuke meets Neji after their battle but ignorant of where Neji's loyalties lie. [The sexy no jutsu.. again goddammit.] And how is Naruto planning on escaping Orochimaru's Curean seal? It's up to Shika and the rest to scheme.
1. There Goes the Bounty

_What is prophesised must be fulfilled. The serpent shall be slain by he who possesses scarlet eyes. But if all with such eyes have been eliminated, how can the prophecy come to past?_

Overview: An AU and non-centric fic of the sci-fi genre. The characters are probably at about 15 and 16 years of age. An adventure fic with Orochimaru the evil overlord, Sasuke the deadly bounty, and Naruto the idiotic bounty hunter along with his dysfunctional band of bounty-hunting team mates. Other characters come into play as the story progresses, so be patient, yesh?

Warnings: A little bit or course language, but other than that, not much.

Disclaimer: I disclaim Naruto.

Key:  
"talking"  
'thinking'  
_stressing on words_

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**The Prophecy Fulfilled**

**Chapter 1: There Goes the Bounty**

"Get your skinny ass back here, Uchiha!" The 15 year old blonde boy changed the gears of the hovercraft and accelerated. It was tough flying through the land of Ventegrah, especially at such an uncomfortably close proximity to the ground. It was essential to take care not to crash into the sharp conical rocks jutting out from the irregular, stony ridges of the snow-covered terrain. Yes. Snow. Perhaps it would be best to mention the murderous warping blizzard which was gleefully tossing the hovercraft around like a tennis ball.

The blonde pilot peered through the frosty windscreen, watching a dark form bounding around on the kunai-shaped rocks which were hidden to the pilot's wary eyes. He cursed at the cloaked-covered figure, who was hopping away at a very fast speed. Finding it was and had already been one hell of a challenge. Chasing it was a feat not many could even come across. And catching it? Many had said that the pilot was out of his mind if he thought he could even do that. The pilot huffed. He had gotten this far, and like hell he was going togive up. But he sure was discouraged. The cold weather wasn't helping much, and so wasn't the old broken down heating system.

"Impossible." Chouji mumbled from behind the pilot's seat, so caught up in his amazement watching the figure outside that he forgot to eat his crackers. "Naruto… we're on the fourth gear and the bounty's losing us! And he's on foot too. Man, how fast is he?"

Naruto cursed again, "As much as I am tempted to go up to ninth gear, I can't cuz it'd mean hello to nice sharp rock and bye bye to stinking life." He gazed at the messy white panorama outside, "I can't see anything else but his back. I can only tell if there's a rock there if Uchiha has jumped onto or over it." He gripped his throttle tightly, suppressing a tight shiver from the cold. His body suddenly stiffened in realization, turning back slowly and glaring dangerously to face the other boy, "Chouji!" he screamed, "Get your ass back to fixing that stupid heater! Bloody freezing hell, no wonder it's so frickin' cold!" As he breathed out angrily, he could see the misty cloud of water vapor form where his warm breath came into contact with the cold air. If it was already this cold inside, he sure didn't even want to _think_ about how it was outside, lest his brain may freeze.

He turned back to the front and focused on piloting again. The windshield heaters were struggling to keep the frost from icing up the windscreen, doing a rather poor job. The dark figure outside was still hopping tirelessly at an unwavering speed, a mind-boggling pace Naruto was sure no human could possibly master. The blonde quickly shifted to fifth gear before the thick storm and foggy snow-laden clouds consumed the disappearing form of the Uchiha prodigy. The vicious winds outside posed as a wearisome threat, almost pushing his 30 ton craft off its course. He could hear the wall of his ship creak under the force of the fatal storm outside, and from the incredibly low temperatures too.

Of course the thought had entered his mind: The brutal winds, the stinging snow and hail, the slippery, thorn-like rocks, the deep trenches between them that that will no doubt lead to a long fall should one lose his footing or miss a step, and of course there was the bloody temperature of -47 degrees Celsius. Just how the hell did Uchiha do it?

"How on earth…" Naruto couldn't help but breathe out, maneuvering between and over the jagged edges of the uneven ground.

"Does he do it?" Chouji finished for him.

"Yea…" Naruto agreed, and suddenly snapped out of his daze, "Chouji! Get back to the heater dammit!"

"Yes-siree, capitano." Chouji mumbled as he ate his last cracker and dropped the wrapper somewhere, making his way to the back of the compartment.

"Damn…" Naruto squinted at the dark fleeing figure which was now a mere shadow in the blinding currents of snow thrashing about outside. The next second, the shadow was gone.

"Crap." Naruto muttered, braking immediately and stopping with a sharp jerk – and thankfully so. The Uchiha had disappeared into the narrow valley of a giant rocky wall which was hidden by a thick blanket of snow. A wall which the hovercraft would have most certainly collided into if Naruto hadn't pulled the brakes.

"Nice save." Sakura said from her station in the same control compartment Naruto was in. Out of habit, she flipped a few switches and from outside, one would notice two large circular metal disks, much a like a satellite dish but with a number of sub-contraptions, sticking out of the sides of the ship. The circumference of the disks were lined with a few ball bearings, with only the corners of a net connected to the ball bearings from the middle. One could tell that the rest of the net was probably folded up neatly within the metal disk, which would open when fired to fling out a net at whatever it was aimed at. Behind each disk were two joystick throttles, with buttons on the top end of each.

The protruding disks made an opening at the sides of the ship. So when in a mighty snow storm with violent winds, it really couldn't be helped if cold air blasted through those openings and into the ship, making everything a whole lot colder.

"Dammit Sakura!" Naruto squeaked from the cold and with shivering hands, quickly but carefully maneuvered the ship into the valley. The crack in the giant wall was narrow, but not enough to prevent the slim hovercraft's intrusion. Once inside, the cold air ceased gushing in, as the craft resided in between the rocky valley walls which shielded them from the storm and winds.

"C-cold…" A sleeping boy with spiky hair tied in a ponytail lifted his head up, shivered, and promptly fell back to sleep. His head hitting the controls he was in charge of caused a bullet to fly out from a powerful laser shotgun stationed at the top of the craft, hitting one side of the valley they were in.

Naruto winced at the small avalanche the laser bullet had caused, wishing he had never put Shikamaru at the combat controls.

"Oops." Sakura smiled apologetically at the sleeping Shikamaru, then back at Naruto.

"S'alright." Naruto grinned back in reply. "Guys, get ready at your stations."

A boy with short hair and canine eyes stepped up to one if the disks and sat down on the chair behind its controls – that is, the two joystick throttles. He yawned and scratched one of the two red marks that ran down the sides of his face.

Another boy sat at the controls of the disk at the other side of the craft, smiling enthusiastically, "Yoish! I will catch this one for sure!" His bowl-shaped haircut bounced along with each syllable, and his thick eyebrows were raised in excitement.

Naruto shivered – not from the cold though. Those eyebrows were just pretty intimidating sometimes. "…Glad to see you're looking forward to this, Lee." He said in fake enthusiasm – which the other boy never seemed to notice.

Rock Lee flashed Naruto a wide grin and then signaled a thumbs up to his canine partner, "Kiba! Good luck! Take honor in being my temporary rival in this exciting mission we are about to partake in. We shall put our whole hearts into striving for the best in this thrilling assignment! But whoever it is that achieves success, may the opposition not frown upon him as we are after all, part of the same team!" He flashed his winning smile again.

Kiba just stared. "Mmkay…?"

"Done!" Chouji called from behind the door that led to the control compartment. But a whirr and a clank later, the boy groaned from the other room, "Aww… not again." He got back to fixing.

"Can't see a thing…" Lee said from his side of the ship, a few snowflakes landing on his controls and his perfectly rounded hair. Looking at the snow-covered landscape before him was like looking at a blank piece of white paper. He couldn't even tell where there were any contours or rocks sticking out. The disk he was to control was also topped with snow, so he grabbed the two throttle handles and pushed them forward, causing the disk further up in front of him to respond by turning down and facing the ground, snow falling off it. Lee pulled the throttles back so the disk faced forward again, "And I definitely can't see him."

"But I can smell him…" Kiba said incisively, slowly shifting his own throttles and causing his disk to turn side to side.

The others looked at him in interest, "Smell?" Naruto squinted characteristically.

"It's faint. But I can definitely pick him out." Kiba answered, sensitive nose sniffing the cold air.

Naruto suddenly asked with a hint of embarrassment but with utmost curiosity, "What… does he smell like?"

Kiba inhaled deeply, "Like…" The boy pondered for a while, as if searching through his mind for an accurate enough description, or perhaps a past memory, "Like rain… rain in Moonhaven."

Naruto scrunched up his face in confusion, "Eh? Rain has a smell?"

Kiba turned and looked at him, "Have you been to Moonhaven before?"

Naruto shook his head, interest never leaving his eyes.

Lee interrupted, "Moonhaven…. That's where the Uchiha clan dwelled, right?"

Kiba nodded, "I've been there before. Just once. It was beautiful and I never wanted to leave." He closed his eyes, seeming to delve back into his recollections, before opening them and facing Naruto again, "Everyone had said that it was theoretically impossible to have vegetation of any kind growing on that land. It was a barren, lifeless place. But the Uchiha clan ain't called geniuses for nothing. The reknowned ninja clan made that desert bloom and prosper, with the most beautiful forests containing Kaleida and Sundown trees, proving other political leaders and top-notch scientists wrong. They called it Moonhaven. Itlooked even better than it smelt. My dad managed to save up enough for a short trip there. I remember that night. The forest had such a cool smell to it. It was raining too. Made everything smell fresher, yet darker and more… mysterious." Kiba suddenly paused.

"…Is… that what _he_ smells like?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"Yea. Sorta." Kiba looked outside, taking a whiff of the cold frosty air.

"Hey, what do I smell like?" Chouji piped up, genuinely curious.

"You don't wanna know." Kiba replied bluntly, causing the other boy to huff indignantly. Kiba turned to face the white snow-covered crags outside again, "But then later that night, the smell changed. It was sudden, and it was overpoweringly strong." He paused, staring at the snow falling, "It was the suffocating stench of blood."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"The air was thick with it. It was scary. Hundreds of foreign ninjas dressed in shiny metallic armor flooded the forests, killing every member of the Uchiha clan that happened to be there. They headed for the village, but they left me and my family alone.Weand some other foreigners had to hide in cavesfor two daysuntil the massacre ended.Then weremained in there for a another few more days, in fear of coming out and encountering the Curean warriors.The Uchiha were strong, but unprepared. After the whole thing, we went back to the village a few days later, and not one Uchiha was left on the land. Not even the dead bodies, which was pretty weird. All that remained in Moonhaven were foreign visitors such as ourselves, and dried up blood." Kiba trailed off.

The group launched into silence, when Naruto abruptly broke it.

"Eh? Lee?" The blonde looked around, realizing the other boy wasn't there anymore. He ran out to the opening of the disk Lee had previously been controlling. "Lee! He called out, wondering if the boy fell out or something.

"Kiba!" Sakura screamed.

Naruto spun around to see Kiba's empty seat at that disk controls on the other side.

"W-what's going on?" He spluttered, panic evident in his voice. He ran back to the front, wiping the frosted window pane to peer outside. "I-if he's here, we can here hear him, r-right? I mean, w-we should be able to tell he's here… right, Sakura-chan? Sakura?" He turned around and came nose to nose with another boy, slightly taller than him, with a black cape hanging a long way from his shoulders, a connected hood covering his forehead and above. All Naruto could see was a face as pale as the moon, with bangs as black as the night sky falling over his eyes, which were redder than blood. "I think she'd say 'no'." The boy whispered.

Naruto took a peek behind the boy's shoulder, seeing an unconscious Sakura lying on the ground near her seat. So he did what any other normal healthy teenager in such a situation would do.

He screamed.

And boy did he scream.

The paler boy frowned when the much tanner one just kept going. And didn't stop. What kind of boy screamed anyway? A short yell was much preferred. Even a very loud shriek just passed as acceptable. But this guy packed one hell of a long-winded high-pitched screech.

It finally ended, and the paler one thought it was due to the other running out of oxygen, but his senses told him otherwise when he turned his head back to look at whoever it was that just entered the compartment.

Chouji stood there at the door, his packet of crackers on the floor, as he stared at the dark-cloaked Uchiha looking back at him with those cold, crimson eyes.

So he fainted.

"Dammit… what kind of crew did I get?" Naruto muttered and returned to where he had stopped off – by screaming some more.

"What the hell…?" The lazy drone of boy at the combat controls was heard.

"Shika!" Naruto yipped happily, "Shikamaru! You're awake! Oh boy, I'm so glad. I was wondering when my manly calls was gonna get to you! Get your gun out, dammit! I know you were put in the combat category for a reason, so prove yourself… Shika?"

The other boy was already back to sleep.

Naruto sighed, "Really, just what kind of crew _did_ I get?"

The dark-haired boy was staring at the sleeping Shikamaru in hidden fascination, and Naruto took this opportunity to reach down the back of his pants and grab his kunai out.

But not before a pale hand blurred his view of his own hand and his own kunai was shoved at his throat.

Naruto took a deep breath, about to scream again, but the Uchiha quickly said, "Scream, and this very clean blade will be clean no more."

Naruto swallowed the scream back down.

"A short quiz, if you don't mind." The boy's voice was darker than his hair, and probably more mysterious than his scent, not that Naruto even knew what mysterious smell thing Kiba was going on about. The blonde was so bloody scared now he couldn't even breathe. The other boy continued, "Number one. How much is the bounty this time?"

"Eh…" Naruto stammered, "700 million bucks."

The pale one smirked, "Wrong. I believe an extra zero behind would make it much more worth it."

Naruto glared and lost his previous fear, regaining his customary aggression, "Hey! It was a jump from 16 million to 700. You weren't so great before, and you ain't so great now either!"

"Then why are you after me?"

Naruto glared when he realized he was stuck , so he went off the topic, "HA! You think you're so hard to get? Puh-lease. Look who I have in _my_ ship now. The most wanted guy on earth."

"Says the one with a kunai at his throat."

"Ah…" Naruto murmured and settled for a pout.

"Number two. Who placed the bounty?"

"Probably some other rich bitch who you killed a family member of." Naruto replied casually.

"Wrong answer." The other pressed the kunai deeper into Naruto's neck, "Why don't you attempt that again and try thinking hard this time."

Naruto's breath hitched as he felt the sharp edge of the dagger push against his throat, "Ah… Lemme think, you bastard."

The pale boy would have smirked at the blonde's antiques, but didn't.

"Eh… some dude going around and conquering the world. White skin, black hair, one hell of an ugly face…"

"Orochimaru…" Sasuke whispered darkly.

"Oh, you know him. First time he appeared on the bounty-placer channel."

The Uchiha looked to the back of the compartment.

"Number three." He said, "Is that spare shuttle over there yours?"

"I'm the captain." Naruto spat, "Of course it's mine!"

The Uchiha prodigy smirked, "Wrong again."

-

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHIP YOU BASTARD!" Naruto yelled at the spare shuttle flying off into the distance, as he struggled to free himself of the ropes around him.

His missing crew members were just climbing up into the ship after having woken up on the snow-coated ground outside, and Sakura and Chouji were stirring.

He turned back and glared at the mess of controls, a kunai having been dragged across the control board, leaving a mighty gash. Loose wires spilt out, and electric sparks flashed ever so often.

"Mm… That'll need fixing." Shikamaru said sleepily before his head hit his controls again, a laser shot rang out, and the valley caved in – covering the craft in mounds of snow.

"Curses!" Naruto howled.

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A/N: Sorry if only so few characters have been introduced. Some more will pop in later, and may take as much as half-way through the story, I think… 

-sylver


	2. Getting It Back

A/N: Thanks for the review, fuuku666. Ah, this chapter's pretty much for u… hehez.

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**The Prophecy Fulfilled**

**Chapter 2: Getting It Back**

Tenten shivered and glared at the open window, its swinging shutters allowing a cold breeze to come in and commence its torture. The 16 year old didn't remember opening it, and in fact recalled shutting it earlier that evening in anticipation for an expected windy night. She walked over and closed the shutters, wondering just how the secure locks had come undone.

Then she shivered again. But the windows were closed now, the air was still, and she wasn't feeling cold. Something was… different, in that house. Something that lingers in murky shadows. Something that could have gone unnoticed if it wanted to. Something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Something that was standing right behind her…

"Where's Hinata?"

She nearly screamed, but a cold hand came over her mouth, for just long enough to calm her down, before it swiftly pulled away. She turned around to meet a pair of scarlet eyes she hadn't seen for a few years. Scarlet eyes that suddenly turned a beautiful midnight black.

"Sasuke." She breathed out, a little in relief, but a little in irrepressible fear too. "You're back."

"Where's Hinata?" Sasuke repeated. Only his lips, nose and shadowed eyes could be seen from under his hood.

"She…" Tenten looked down at her feet and shifted uneasily.

Sasuke didn't have to glare to get Tenten nervous. "She left."

Once again. Without even a word or a questioning expression from the boy, Tenten felt obligated to explain herself, "She… she went to find… him…"

Sasuke allowed a frown to grace his features, "Neji."

Tenten nodded.

"Where?"

"I… don't know. She didn't say anything." Tenten frowned and her voice cracked, "I tried to tell her that… I mean, I tried. I know it may have stopped her. But I couldn't say it…" She finished with a whisper, "I just don't believe that Neji's dead…"

"Who said he was?" Sasuke breathed coldly.

"Everyone". Tenten bit her lower lip and suppressed a tear, then replied a little more fiercely, "You really shouldn't have left if you're supposed to be protecting her."

Sasuke's expression never changed, "I left her _to_ protect her."

Tenten fell silent. She knew about the countless bounties placed on his head, and she knew damn well that Hinata would be worse off with the boy than anywhere else. She looked back up, but Sasuke was gone. She turned around and saw him with his back facing her, staring out at the night sky through the window – which was opened again. Just how he swung the creaky shutters open without so much as a squeak was beyond her. The air outside had turned strangely still and was without a breeze, and Tenten had to wonder if perhaps even the wind felt nervous around him too.

Sasuke looked outside at the quiet, poorly lit town. Sheridon was a dead city at night, though a pleasant peaceful place by day. The raven-haired boy started thinking back to just a few years ago when he had made that promise to Neji.

The Uchihas were next of kin to the Hyuuga clan. Neji was Sasuke's distant cousin, and had went off with the rest of the Hyuuga family to battle with Orochimaru and his Curean warriors. But Neji had left a girl behind with Sasuke to hide and keep safe. Her name was Hinata – Neji's first cousin and heir to the head of the Hyuuga clan. It was essential she stayed alive. Sasuke hadn't seen Neji ever since, but had kept his promise to protect the girl. Long before, and after the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke, as the only remaining survivor, had secretly met up with Neji – one of the few he trusted, and had been living with him in secrecy. It was only natural that Neji would leave the girl with his own trusted cousin. But Orochimaru had somehow found out that there was one Uchiha left, and was hell bent on getting him. The serpent-like man had sent countless ninja warriors out to get him, while at the same time, multiple bounties have been placed on his head by rich family members of the men who had fallen by the swiftness of his hand and the wrath of his sharingan. Hinata was just not safe around him. So he had left her in Sheridon in the care of Tenten – who he knew as a close acquaintance of Neji's.

Hinata had, from the very start, refused to believe what many others have said – that Neji was dead, just like the rest of the Hyuuga clan. The girl had stayed in a shy and silent trance for a long time before recently starting her attempts on setting out to search for her cousin and family. She had done it a couple of times already, but Tenten obviously wasn't enough to stop the girl from leaving this time.

"I watched the news." Tenten suddenly said from behind Sasuke, "Orochimaru's got that $700 million bounty on you."

Sasuke, still looking outside, replied, "The bastard finally gave up on finding me himself. Relying on low-life bounty hunters now."

"So how did you get here?" Tenten asked, remembering that the stoic boy had left for some place rather far away.

"Shuttle."

Tenten squinted suspiciously, "Where… did you park this shuttle…?"

"In your backyard."

Tenten nearly fell over, "WHAT? Uchiha Sasuke! When the cops see a stolen shuttle in _my_ house, it is _me_ they're going to talk to!" Tenten's voice died down, "They… they're coming soon." She whispered, fear rattling her voice, "Orochimaru's men…the Cureans, that is…"

"I know."

Tenten looked up, "How did you kn-"

"Two hundred battleships _can_ give it away." Sasuke turned from the window and made his way upstairs.

Tenten felt fear rip across her body as she shot to the window and peered out.

Not far a distance from the city, a mass of battle troops and some prisoner ships were nearing, and fast.

-

"YES!" Naruto yipped gleefully as Chouji finished off his make-shift repairs. Wires were re-twisted and metal casings were still hot from having been melded together. "Chouji! I knew I could count on you!" Naruto blabbered, "I didn't hire you as our mechanic for nothing! Not like that lazy good-for-nothing combat specialist wannabe…." he trailed off in mumbles, glaring at the still sleeping Shikamaru. Naruto had hired three combat specialists. Lee and Kiba were the best of the lot for air-to-ground combat, while Shika was top of the air-to-air ones. Or at least he was supposed to be. Naruto was beginning to wonder whether he should ever trust score cards again.

"Sakura, set the co-ordinates for Curea." Naruto called to the pink-haired navigator, who nodded back an affirmative, "We better get this ship just like new if it's gonna help us snag Uchiha…"

"Man, Naruto." Kiba interrupted, "Going back there with no Uchiha but a broken-down hovercraft instead… Orochimaru's gonna have your head!"

Naruto glared, "I know that! But it's not just _my_ head he's getting. It's _ours_. _You_ guys joined _me_. So we're all in this together!"

"You're just saying that to make yourself feel better!" Kiba snarled.

Lee sighed, "It's dumb cuz it's not like we're his personal bounty hunters or anything. I mean, out of thousands of other ninja hunters out there, he picks on us! Why on earth?"

"_Why,_ you ask?" Kiba scoffed and glared at Naruto, "You see, Lee, out of all those thousands of ninja hunters out there, a certain blonde bird-brain just _had_ to stand up and say '_Oro-dude! We'll get that Uchiha for you! Just count on me, cuz I'm the best bounty hunter in the world!'_ And so now snake-man's keeping tabs on us! I can't believe he actually got convinced by such a lame speech!"

"Well, _sorry_!" Naruto whined back in self-defense "I did that so I could _persuade_ him to bounce the bounty up a little…"

"A little?" Sakura sighed, "Naruto, wasn't $200 million enough? You got him to bump it up to $700 million! Now _every_ single ninja bounty hunter in the entire world is out to get Uchiha! And I'm only talking about the ninjas! You know how many non-ninja hunters there are out there too?. We're up against thousands!"

"Exactly!" Naruto revved up the engine, "And so we'll catch Uchiha, get our $700 million, AND get title of best bounty hunters in the world! Can I help making good plans?" He grinned.

"What makes him think we're even going to catch Uchiha?" Kiba asked the others.

"Hey," Naruto blared back, 'We got closer to him than anyone else in the world! He was standing in this very ship, for pete's sake! We're probably the first to have actually seen and talked to him, and even come out alive and well!"

Lee shrugged, "I didn't get to see him."

Kiba and Sakura shook their heads too.

"Wait. Are you saying that you actually saw _and_ talked to him? The Uchiha?" Lee asked, big eyes growing bigger, "What did he look like?"

Sakura got excited, "Is he hot? What's his voice like?"

"Yea," Kiba said, "What'd did he smell like up-close?"

The group stared at the canine-boy.

Naruto scrunched his face up, "What so great about him? And why don't you ask Chouji? He saw Uchiha and came out alive and well too."

Chouji had gone into shock a while ago, and was now balled up and on the floor, rolling back and forth, murmuring something about black hoods and red eyes.

Naruto stared, "Mmm… Okay, maybe just _alive_… Oh, and Shika? No, wait, he'd probably say he dreamt it or something…"

"WAIT!" Sakura yelled, "Naruto, you seriously talked to him? Saw his face? Held a conversation?.!.!"

Naruto stared with wide eyes and nodded.

"That, like, never happened to anyone else before!" She hollered.

"Well, that's cuz no one else is as great a bounty hunter as I am to have even found him!" Naruto beamed proudly at his piloting skills, earning himself a smack on the head from the pink-haired girl.

The group launched into another series of interrogative questions, but Naruto brushed them off, "Ahh! Stop asking me all these useless questions about that bastard! Let's just get back to Curea and get one step closer to my- I mean, _our_ $700 million!"

Naruto accelerated and took off. Besides, Uchiha had his shuttle and he intended on getting it back.

-

The normally dim, quiet city of Sheridon was in flames that night, lit up like a blazing torch, with screams and cries of pain and fear ghosting the city walkways.

Tenten bit her lip to stop herself from crying, and tightened the clutch she had around the handle of her kunai. She heard the front door of her house crash to the floor, and the heavy clobber of clumsy feet trampling over it. She stayed as still as possible inside the dark, dusty cupboard, not daring to breathe lest someone heard her.

Six Curean soldiers broke down the door upstairs that led to a dark room. One soldier tried a light switch, but it didn't work, so he turned on a torch on his rifle and shone it about.

He dragged the light across a wall in front of him, spotting a cupboard on the far right. For the first second before his light fell on the cupboard, nothing was there at the back wall of the room. He shone back left to double-check before he going to open the cupboard when his torch's light ran over the wall again and he caught a glimpse of a dark hooded silhouette standing in the middle. But it was just a glimpse. He looked back, centering his light on that spot, a pang of fear gripping his heart at the same time – but there was nothing to be seen.

"What the…" He murmured.

"You saw something?" Another soldier asked.

"Nah… I thought I saw-"

"Me?" The men spun around in shock and stared at a shadowy hooded form with a long black cape running down the length of its body.

"What the?.!" One of the soldiers clumsily fired at the figure, who suddenly wasn't there anymore.

"Where'd he go?.!" Another man yelled, the fear painfully obvious in his voice.

"Right here." The dark voice said again, before the soldier felt a sharp object run through his throat.

The others turned and started firing, but at nothing again.

"What is this?.!" One of the soldiers stammered. Another soldier fell to the floor, a large gash in his chest. Two more men had their heads viciously crushed together.

"Back-up!" One of the two remaining men yelled into his communicator as he heard his last comrade fall to the floor, "We need-"

"-You need to say your prayers." The dark voice whispered into the soldier's ear.

-

All the gray-haired general heard was a very loud scream. He winced at its shrillness and rubbed his ear, then pushed his spectacles up the ridge of his nose.

"General Kabuto." A soldier next to him held up an electronic locator, a red dot indicating where six of their soldiers had fallen.

The general and fifteen more men stormed into the house and up into the room, only to find six dead men and an empty cupboard. Downstairs, the backdoor was open.

"After them!" Kabuto yelled when he heard the distinct sound of a shuttle taking off. A few Curean ships chased after it, intending on shooting it down – which they soon did.

-

Sasuke and Tenten weaved through the maze of city walls and alleys after setting the decoy shuttle off. Tenten panted heavily, tears pouring down her face after having seen the dead bodies of some friends she had known. They were the types who would have courageously resisted the Cureans, stick to their beliefs in freedom. But the Cureans obviously didn't care much for that.

"Where are we going?" She stopped, breathing harshly.

"You're going some place else. Away from here." Sasuke seemed to have melted into the shadows of the dark alleyway they were in, as if he was a shadow himself, and it was difficult to see him.

"What about you?" Tenten queried.

"There's another one!" A loud voice from a short distance away yelled, and Tenten turned to see troops of Curean soldiers advancing. She stepped backward in panic, and felt her back hit something that wasn't there before.

She spun around and saw it was Sasuke, who had moved there with his usual speed and stealth.

"I'll distract them."

Tenten managed a small nod before the younger boy moved silently pass her and toward the approaching Cureans, and she quickly ran off without turning back – praying for the boy's safety.

-

Two minutes and twenty-six dead bodies later, Sasuke was staring up at a large prisoner ship, where a few hundred town citizens were being herded in.

Sasuke smiled inwardly as he stealthily entered the crowd. Perhaps a visit to the bustling city of Curea was due. After all, he still had that promise of Neji's he had to keep. The Cureans had something he was put in charge of and he intended on getting it back.

* * *

A/N: R&R, peepz. R&R…

-sylver


	3. We Meet Again

A/N: Ok, new chapter. I've been busy with my Hana Yori Dango one-shots and my other Naruto Fics. So, whoever you are who has gotten this far in this abhorrent fic, thank you for bearing with it! You shall be rewarded graciously! Umn… somehow. I'm not making any promises.. :hurry hops away:

King Chaos: ooh, you seem like one who enjoys action… so do I! Thanks for reviewing! Hope the fic doesn't turn out to be.. uncool…

Xoni Newcomer: Aww… thanks for the review. Made me feel so much better. To me, your review was equivalent to ten reviews. And your name rocks, by the way. How do you think of such cool names? Maybe I should change my name to Sylver Orangepeel or something…

* * *

**The Prophecy Fulfilled**

**Chapter 3: We Meet Again**

Naruto clenched his fists tightly, his cerulean eyes portraying all the anger he was feeling at that moment. "Give my ship back, Kabuto!"

"It's _General_ Kabuto to you." The gray-haired man said, "And no, you can't get the hovercraft back. Lord Orochimaru's orders."

"But I need more time! And better equipment!" The blonde whined.

"You've had two months, AND the best hovercraft equipment, ALONG with the best combat specialists. But what do you bring back? A broken craft and NO Uchiha!" Kabuto huffed and walked away.

Naruto was boiling. He stood there, glaring at the General who had gone back to attend the herding of a new batch of 'pre-converts'. More like prisoners, as Naruto saw it. The blonde boy was starting to look rather dangerous, so his bounty-hunting team members decided it was best to let him cool off. Well, more like them wanting to be far away from him if he loses control. But hey, you gotta sound like you care, don't you?

"We're going to lunch, okay?" Sakura grinned at their leader, "So… see ya!"

The team dashed off, with Chouji running surprisingly faster than the others. Food had that motivational effect on him.

Naruto didn't seem to have heard, as he still stood there, fists clenched, eyes glaring at Kabuto, who was barking orders at a mob of men. Then his eyes suddenly caught sight of someone…

-

Walking about with a hood on might cause one to stand out. But amongst a throb of town citizens where many men and women wore cloaks, scarves and shawls over their heads, blending in wasn't too hard.

And so Uchiha Sasuke blended in, going unknown and unidentified, like a mere shadow floating randomly by. And he thought he was doing a pretty good job until…

"YOU! BASTARD!"

Sasuke's eyes had widened at the familiar voice, but the expression of shock had gone hidden with help from his hood. He turned as calmly as possible in the direction of the voice and his shadowed eyes went wider.

A short distance away stood a very bright-haired, very rude, and _very_ loud blonde pilot who was in desperate need of knowing how to think before he speaks.

"YEA, YOU! UCHI-" Naruto choked back on his words as Sasuke's hand pressed against his lips. 'How did he get here so fast without me seeing?' Naruto thought, amazed.

"You want the guards to get me?" Sasuke whispered in his usual calm demeanour.

Naruto grinned with his covered lips and nodded.

"AND lose your $700 million?"

The blonde's eyes widened in realization and viciously shook his head, as Sasuke's hand pulled away.

The crowd of people around them were still staring. They all had the Curean seal on their foreheads, and some guards were staring suspiciously at the two boys.

"Ahh…" Naruto decided to put up an act, "UCHI… _YOU CHEATER!_" Naruto emphasized on the words, "Yea! You cheater! Where's that money you owe me!"

Sasuke smirked under his hood. He hadn't smirked for such a long time. And admittedly, this blonde character _did _come up with a rather good cover.

"I need more time." He said smoothly.

Naruto, on the other hand, was trying his best not to burst out laughing. Oh how he loved pranks. "More time my ass! I'll show you! I'll give you the biggest thrashing of your stinking life!"

The guards were not too suspicious now. Naruto had the pass on his left chest that indicated he was allowed in the city although he was not converted yet and was without a Curean seal. So they didn't think too much about what he did. The guards had been much more apprehensive about the hooded one, but after hearing what the blonde one was yelling out, they presumed he was just getting money back from the hooded prisoner who was going to get bashed up. It was fine with them.

"Get your ass in there!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the front base of his hood and dragged him into a dark alley, hidden from the eyes of the guards and pretty much anyone else, as if a fight was to ensue.

But in actual fact, something quite different was happening. Well, one could still call it a fight…

"YOU! GIVE ME BACK MY SHUTTLE!" Naruto tried his best not to scream.

"I can't." A calm reply that just got the blonde more annoyed.

"And why the hell not?"

"It's gone."

Silence for a few seconds. "W-what… do you mean… _gone_…?" Naruto's voice stammered aggressively.

"Some gray-haired guy shot it down."

"K-Kabuto…" Naruto fumed, "That asshole…" He whispered dangerously, "_Now_ it's personal…"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

Naruto seemed to snap out of his trance and he looked suspiciously at Sasuke, "Hey… Lemme see your…" Naruto launched at Sasuke's hood, determined to pull it off. But Sasuke dodged pretty easily.

"And just what for?"

"So I can sell information and make big bucks!" Naruto belted out carelessly before clasping his hands over his mouth, "I mean… cuz… my friends! They wanna know how you look like! Yea, that's it!" He grinned convincingly.

But not convincing enough.

"Very bad try." Sasuke gave a bored glare, folding his arms over his chest.

Naruto felt around for a weapon or net-shooting thing of some kind, but had none on him, "Damn Kabuto confiscated my stuff…" he mumbled to himself.

"Shouldn't you be doing all that with more discretion?" Sasuke couldn't help but stare incredulously, "I mean, you _are_ trying to catch me, and I'm right in front of you. I'm not deaf or blind, you know."

"Not death or blind? Oh, I couldn't tell." Naruto scoffed sarcastically, "And _of course_ I should be doing it more discreetly. But it wouldn't make a difference if I did, would it? You'd still know!" He snapped.

"Ha. True enough. I'll take that as a compliment." Sasuke observed his fingernails in an act of pride.

Naruto wrinkled his nose, then grinned mischievously, "Aha! I know… I've been formulating this for some time, and you're the first to get a taste of it!"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan in defence as Naruto performed some seals.

A puff of smoke later, and Sasuke found himself staring at… a girl?

And a very naked one, at that. A very naked, advancing one.

"Uchiha-kun…" An enticing female voice whispered flirtatiously into his ear as the girl with long blonde locks tied up in two ponytails wrapped her arms around him.

"Get off, bounty hunter." Sasuke muttered.

"Oh… but I'm no bounty hunter…" The girl traced a dainty finger down his jaw and neck, "I'm just an innocent, harmless girl who-" She flung his hood off, 'Got you PUNK'D!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a breeze run unfamiliarly through his long-hidden black bangs.

Naruto smirked triumphantly at the boy, his hair the color of the midnight sky, flared up at the back stylishly, and the same scarlet eyes he saw not too long ago on his own hovercraft. The Uchiha boy was about his age, and admittedly and undeniably v_ery_ good looking. Yes, hot, if you want to put it that way. But as if he was ever going to tell Sakura that and get her hopes up.

Naruto reverted back to his normal male form and started laughing, "Oh, hell yea! I pulled a good one on yah, didn't I?" He punched the air repeatedly, "Ho Ho… the great Uchiha got punk'd by the greater Uzumaki Naruto! Best bounty hunter and pilot in the world!"

Sasuke was still silent, looking at Naruto in the usual calm manner. But Naruto quietened down, feeling rather unnerved by it.

"Hey…" Naruto smiled, trying to cover up his nervousness, "You pissed?"

Sasuke just kept staring.

"Hey, aren't you gonna yell or something?"

No response.

Naruto got annoyed at the silence, "Scream at me? Stab me? Slash my throat?.? GLARE?.!.?"

Silence.

"Umn… you pissed about me as a naked girl, me taking your hood off, or me definitely going to sell information on how to identify you to the bounty hunting community?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

Naruto gulped and almost choked.

Sasuke clasped his hands together in formation of a few seals, causing Naruto to squeal. "DON'T KILL MEEEE!"

And after an eruption of smoke, there stood a very hot, very sexy, and also very naked girl, with long dark hair and pale smooth skin, and those same crimson eyes.

Naruto fell backwards and felt a nosebleed coming on. Thank God for smoke.

The female Sasuke smirked, "Punk'd."

"GYAH!" Naruto snapped out from his trance, "You copied it! You copied my sexy-no-jutsu! You ARE a cheater! ARGHHH!" The blond boy threw a tantrum on the ground.

Sasuke couldn't help smirking victoriously as he reverted back to his male self and pulled the hood back over his head, walking away. He never had this much fun and never smirked this much since… well, ever.

"WAIT!" Naruto called, and grinned, "Tell me your first name and I won't sell your info!"

Sasuke stopped walking, and it was obvious he didn't buy those words. But to Naruto's surprise, the black-haired boy replied softly, "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He kept walking.

"HA! I got the last punk!" Naruto cheered himself, "Now I'm selling your name too! I'm getting richer with each word you say!" Naruto felt a lot better, anger fully dissolved.

But to his confusion, all Sasuke did was turn slightly, smirk once more, and disappear.

Naruto stood there, staring after the mysterious boy.

"AND YOU OWE ME A SHUTTLE!"

-

The crowd of prisoners were shepherded into a large open air stadium, where guards stood at every large locked door. The floor was psychodelic and mind-boggling to look at, with intricate patterns twirling their way upon the ground. But none of this affected Sasuke. The boy was only glad that the Uzumaki guy hadn't held him up long enough to prevent him from following the crowd. He was determined on getting into the Curean palace, though he wasn't sure if the crowd was even going there.

The prisoners only waited in the stadium for a few seconds when one of the giant doors were pulled open, allowing a man with long black hair to stride in. Behind him walked four elegantly dressed girls in a perfect 'V' formation.

Sasuke scrutinized the man from under his hood. The man had a ghostly white face that contrasted maliciously with his straight jet-black hair, yellow distinguishing snake-like eyes that seemed to bore through one's soul, and two purple markings that ran from above his eyelids and down toward his nose.

As dangerous and hazardous as this snake-guy seemed and most probably was, Sasuke decided it was much more important to be very aware of a certain black-haired girl a few steps behind that man. What's more important, was to notice the dull glaze that seemed to be shrouding her eyes, much like every other converted Curean. Most importantly though, was to pay close attention to that which was the Curean seal neatly printed across her forehead. Yea, those were very important points indeed.

Sasuke muttered in his head, 'Hinata.' She obviously had been converted to… Cureanism? Was that what it was called in loose terms? Yes, he was sure he heard something like that.

"Good people." The snake-guy said sibilantly**(1)**, "I am sure you are all aware of the state of the world today. Wars between the countries. Hatred between the religions. Prejudice between the races. I know that not only are you aware of these happenings, but perhaps some of you have… experienced them?"

Some of the faces in the crowd turned down toward the ground.

Orochimaru smiled.

"As many of you most probably already know, I am Lord Orochimaru. The pre-invasion warning had been sent out before my Curean soldiers… trespassed on your land. I hope all of you had agreed to the warnings and had not resisted. Those who have, have been… put at rest, as I'm sure you know already."

The crowd of prisoners were glaring bitterly at him now, but Orochimaru did not seem affected. "I am here to promote my conquest." He continued, "Your friends have died for their useless believes. I am inviting you to believe in _me_. I will change the world once I get my hold on it. I already have three quarters of this earth on my side, and all these people have put their lives in my hands. So will you join me? As one nation, one religion, one race, where no discrimination stands!"

"Like we even have a choice!" A man in the crowd yelled out.

"Yea! And all these wars are really a result of YOU!" A lady voice out.

"Asuma! Kurenai! Be quiet!" A man near them whispered in fear, "You wanna die?"

"Die is right." Orochimaru was suddenly between Asuma and Kurenai, who both fell to the ground, dead. A young girl near them started crying.

"Oh, and have I forgotten to mention that there is only this other option if you do not join me?" The snake-man grinned deviously, causing the prisoners to recoil in fear. "Just my method of… persuasion." He added, "If there are any more objections, please feel free to voice them out. My men will come to your service." He pointed at a group of men dressed in black, wielding axes and swords.

Sasuke watched the man called Lord Orochimaru walk off from the two dead bodies, and the Uchiha sucked his breath in sharply. He was watching the snake-man closely, and hadn't seen any movement before the ones named Asuma and Kurenai fell dead. In the first second the Orochimaru was here, and the next he was there. It was almost like teleportation. Sasuke decided it was best to keep his guard up, especially around a man of such great speed. Sasuke himself was considered a speed demon, and if he couldn't even see Orochimaru move, he was sure very few others could.

The snake-man resumed his position in front of his four female escorts, while the young girl who had seen Asuma and Kurenai fall dead kept right on crying.

"How annoying." Orochimaru looked at the girl, "Shut up."

The girl just bawled louder.

Orochimaru glared, "Kill her."

One of the guards nearby made his way towards the girl, a knife in one hand.

"NO! Please don't! Not my girl!" The girl's mother fell on her knees next to the child, holding the girl as close to her as possible.

The guard said nothing and grabbed the girl by the arm out from the wailing mother's grasp. The people around them were terror-stricken, backing away from the scene.

Just before the knife could come down upon the girl, the guard fell dead, his blade clattering on the floor.

Everyone gasped at the hooded figure standing there between the girl and the dead guard, arms hidden by the cloak which covered his entire body, as if he hadn't even moved them.

"What is this?" Orochimaru asked angrily, the surprise in his voice unhidden.

The hooded one calmly picked up the knife and suddenly twirled around, plunging the knife into the young girl's body.

"NOOOO!" The mother wailed, "You son of a bitch! You killed her!" She fell to the floor, shaking viciously.

Sasuke, with his face still hidden by his hood, stared back at the one named Orochimaru, "I liked your speech. Allow me to join your team."

* * *

**(1) Big thanks to Rhivan Sin for "Sibilantly". I _did_ check it up in the dictionary and yes, it does work! For those who don't know (cuz I didn't.. o.o;), Sibilant is defined as 'hissing' or 'to utter a hissing sound'. So yes. Once again, Rhivan Sin, I am truly grateful. My full reply to you will be in the next chpt. **

A/N: Oh my, oh my… Ok, I know that if I was reading a fic and the author/authoress made Sasuke evil, I would stop reading right there and then. Ok, maybe I wouldn't.. just to see how that story would turn out. But some rabid Sasuke-fans may. So I'll have you know that no, Sasuke did _not_ kill the girl, and no, I will not tell you what actually happened – till the next chapter. Hehez.. just keep reading! And please review too! Tell me what you think!


	4. Shortcut

YoungSasuke: Hehe… No it won't be quite like the movie itself. I mean, most of it was… inspired? Can't quite bring myself to say ripped off. I added in and modified a lot of it. But I guess you may still be able to see some similarities here and there.

AjinAvenger: …Wow. O.O I never knew that. NOW you tell me. My gosh, the number of pranks I can pull with such knowledge… :sigh: Perhaps I should go do some.. _research_ on this idea you proposed…

Archangel Rhapsody: In a good way, I hope. ;

Rhivan Sin: All hail Big Brother. I await your next correction, if ever you decide to bother to again.

Frontier of Darkness: Neko! You are back! So am I! I missed you and your fics. Still waiting for Quest of the Green Beast. I'm sure you had fun sifting through all those update-dammit-update reviews I left you. Glad you're adoring the fic.

* * *

**The Prophecy Fulfilled**

**Chapter 4: Shortcut**

_The hooded one calmly picked up the knife and suddenly twirled around, plunging the knife into the young girl's body. _

"_NOOOO!"_ _The mother wailed, "You son of a bitch! You killed her!" She fell to the floor, shaking viciously._

_Sasuke, with his face still hidden by his hood, stared back at the one named Orochimaru, "I liked your speech. Allow me to join your team."_

---

All eyes were on the hooded one, the silence demanding an explanation.

"The girl was annoying." Sasuke said coolly, his voice absent of any emotion. His hand was dripping with blood, and he flicked his fingers casually to get rid of the excess liquid.

Orochimaru looked down at his dead guard, and back at Sasuke.

The Uchiha shrugged, "He was annoying too."

Lord Orochimaru smiled his snake-like smile, "I like your style. Very eye-catching." He gestured to the body of the dead girl lying behind Sasuke, her crying mother close by.

Sasuke didn't move. Not even to cast a glance at the scene behind him.

"You want to join my team, eh?" Orochimaru leered.

Sasuke nodded curtly.

Orochimaru walked off through the colossal gates, the girls trailing behind him and his guards nearby. Sasuke was obviously supposed to follow – which he did. All the while, the Uchiha gave occasional inconspicuous glances at Hinata, who didn't seem to have any recognition of him whatsoever. Perhaps her mind had been wiped clean. Or maybe it was because of the Curean seal. Sasuke had a hunch it was the latter. Possibly both.

-

The woman clutched the dead body of her child close to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"That son of a bitch…" She bawled hoarsely… "That ruthless, son of a bitch…"

The crowd around her seemed to have squeezed in closer, watching the scene in interest and pity, while totally enclosing her and letting no one outside the group see her wail. She cast her teary eyes down once more at her bloodied child, who was now…

A log?

The woman stared at it and was about to scream when a man in the crowd clamped a gentle hand over her mouth and hushed her. The woman looked back at him with wide eyes, her face contorted in a mixture of horror and confusion. The man just smiled and stepped aside, his own cloak uncovering the young girl who had been dead just a few seconds earlier – and she was very much alive. "She appeared out of no where." He whispered softly so no guard could hear, and smiled, "I think that son of a bitch just saved her life."

The woman started crying again, pulling her daughter into a tight hug, repeating over and over, "Oh, bless that young man. Bless him…"

The man pulled the young girl back under his long cloak so no guard would notice, as he and the rest of the small crowd smiled discreetly while they were yelled at by the guards.

"Looks like we have a ninja on our side…" He said softly in consolation to the rest, and especially himself. **(1)**

-

This had been Orochimaru's intentions from the very start – to have every country with a ninja force within his hands. And he was there, at least almost there. Too few relatively significant villages have been left untouched, and they were such a diminutive opposition compared to what Orochimaru currently had in his merciless clutches, that they were practically his already. With every ninja alliance in his control, truly he would be unstoppable. A man to dread. A man to fear. But even with all this nagging at the back of the prodigy's brilliant mind…

Uchiha Sasuke suddenly felt very annoyed. His hand was hurting like hell, after having to spare some of his own blood in order for the guards not to find it suspicious if the crowd he was in earlier on left the vicinity and there was not a trace of blood. The girl's missing body could be justified by the mother carrying it away, but without a drop of red, Sasuke was sure the guards would start to suspect something. So he wouldn't put it pass himself if his throbbing hand was annoying the hell out of him. But what irritated him further, for some unknown reason, was something a lot less imperative considering his situation.

Sasuke couldn't help but growl mentally at the typicality of the palace.

Really, the interior design was so damn predictable. Dark, stony walls with dull torches shedding little light in the immensely spacious hall, ceilings so high you couldn't even see it, mighty chandeliers hanging from elongated chains that promised death and chaos if it ever fell, and those numerous banal guards standing deathly still at their respective posts in a neat alignment along the path the small congregation, including himself, were walking.

It was all just so… typical.

Aggravatingly typical.

Sasuke was tempted to grind his ankle down on one of the guard's feet, or kick him in the… sensitive area, or perhaps deliver a major wedgie, just to send him howling – all for the sake of a change and forsaking conventionalism of a sort.

The temptation was awfully great and he was about to give in to his itching hand when the group he was following stopped abruptly.

Lucky guards.

The girls in front of him made their way in perfect formation behind Orochimaru, who had sat down at his throne. A few men who seemed of high rank stood by his side. Orochimaru spoke.

"And by what name does the hooded one go by?"

From under his hood, Sasuke sarcastically glanced around, just to make sure he was the only hooded one standing before the throne.

Wait, he was the _only_ one standing before the throne.

Ah well.

"I have no name."

"Oh, a mysterious one, aren't you?" Orochimaru smirked.

First The Hooded One. Now The Mysterious One. What next?

"Perhaps I should give you a name then?"

How about The Hooded Mystery? It definitely sounded better than The Mysterious Hoody…

"You don't really care, do you?"

Ah, Uncaring Hooded Mystery… First name, The.

"I only care when I have to."

Orochimaru smiled, "I like that… I like that a lot. It means I can be sure there will be little opposition from you. Some generals have done that before… after a sudden _change of heart_. They start to… _care_ a lot."

Sasuke decided it was in his best interest not to blurt out "For the sake of my second name 'Uncaring', I do not care." It was already at the tip of his tongue and he had to swallow it whole.

"Doesn't the Curean seal prevent that?" He decided to ask instead. Because this, he cared. A little.

"Most of the time, yes. But there has been some… malfunctions, I guess you can say. Very rare, but it has happened. And need I remind you, their punishment was most beautifully brutal."

Sasuke mulled over the chances of ever hearing the word 'beautiful' and 'brutal' shoved into the same sentence, when Orochimaru butted into his thoughts.

"You've only killed one of my men. One of my weaker men, at that. It doesn't suffice to show if you're strong enough to join the upper ranks – which I know you've most obviously got your mind set upon. Else you wouldn't be here in the palace."

He did? Sasuke hadn't thought of that – getting into the higher ranks, that is. He had faked the girl's murder only to spare her, then said he wanted to join Orochimaru's team in order to avoid getting in trouble for killing the guard. All in all, he hadn't thought of a plan to get into the palace yet. Hadn't planned that far ahead. Had told himself to tackle whatever comes at him when it comes. And now, Orochimaru was assuming he wanted to join the upper ranks, and was quite possibly giving him a chance to get in too. Thank goodness he could seem obvious about something he hadn't planned on looking obvious about. The all-knowing lord Orochimaru's accurate assumptions were most gratefully appreciated.

"What must I do?"

Orochimaru's eyes seemed to light up in anticipated entertainment. (No, not that kind…) "A Battle League."

Sasuke allowed an eyebrow to raise in question.

"This is the traditional way most of my generals have become who they are now. It's simple, really. Just kill, kill, and kill. Have lots of fun while you're at it too."

It _was_ pretty simple. But fun? Sasuke didn't consider himself a sadist. He looked at the men standing beside the lord. They were like every other Curean. Glazed eyes, seal on forehead, but staring down at him in fierce scrutiny. They must have all killed hundreds then. Consciously slaughtered hundreds of people, be it their own allies, to be where they were standing now.

Then someone's loud, obnoxious voice butted into his thoughts.

"Did you just say 'Kill and have fun?'" A familiar blonde boy strolled casually up to the Curean ruler from behind Sasuke.

'Naruto?' Sasuke thought, wondering just why the boy was here.

"Naruto?" Orochimaru voiced out for him, sounded just as surprised as Sasuke felt. Maybe a little annoyed as well.

"Hey YOU! You cheater! What are YOU doing here?" Naruto pointed at Sasuke, not masking his own surprise at the Uchiha's presence.

"I was just about to ask YOU the same question." Orochimaru spat, looking at Naruto, then both the boys, "You two know each other?"

"Yea." Naruto sniffed, "He owes me money."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Orochimaru stared at them for a while, then glared at Naruto, "You still have the gall to confront me, after you failed your mission. You said that you could get the last Uchiha, but WHERE is he? NO WHERE IN SIGHT. So if you're here to ask for more equipment, the answer is NO."

Naruto just gaped back at Orochimaru with his mouth open, stared at Sasuke, then stared back at Orochimaru.

"I… was actually here to ask if I could postpone the Curean sealing for me and my team mates…"

"Ah, that issue… Well, NO."

"WHY?"

"Because you and your team mates are the _only_ bounty hunters without a seal. It's about time you got one. Prove your loyalty."

"But I AM loyal!" Naruto whined. "You can trust me!"

"Yes… Trust you to never succeed!"

Naruto's eyes fell a few shades darker. "Without the seal, we can infiltrate countries that are not yet in your command-"

"Enough." Orochimaru said, "You and your team are to go to Kabuto this instance to get the seal."

Sasuke watched as Naruto walked down the long hall and out the large doors, abnormally silent. He was slightly surprised that the blonde hadn't either intentionally _or_ accidentally blurted out his identity, but gratefully so. However, Naruto's solemn departure left the room in a darker atmosphere than before. Sasuke turned back to face the snake lord. (A/N: Don't ask me where the hell I'm pulling these different names for Oro-chan out from.)

"Anyway," Orochimaru continued, "What do you think?"

"…About the name thing?"

"No… About my proposition."

"Oh. The kill and have fun thing."

Orochimaru nodded.

"Is there a shortcut?"

"Excuse me?" Orochimaru asked, slightly startled. A few of his generals gasped in astonishment.

"A shortcut."

Orochimaru looked dubiously at him.

"A faster way to do it."

"I know what a shortcut is. What are you getting at, though?" Orochimaru seemed more curious than disapproving.

"Instead of wasting a hundred men on me, let me fight someone of higher rank. One fight, and if I win, I'm in."

Orochimaru smirked, "How interesting. A break from tradition. Very well." His generals, however, were less ready and maybe a little nervous to agree to such a sudden change in custom, and they launched into an ardent discussion about the atrocity of such a suggestion.

Orochimaru snapped in mild irritation, "Silence."

And there was.

The Curean lord looked back down at Sasuke, "So, who would you like to engage in battle with?"

Sasuke looked at the four generals standing there, doing their best to disguise their anxiety.

"I get to choose?"

"Well, I had a certain individual in mind…"

"My lord." An rather familiar voice interrupted.

Orochimaru looked around, and smiled even more sinisterly, if that was even possible, "Ah, General Neji. You have returned, just on time too. How was the invasion?"

The general who entered had eyes of the purest white, and skin almost as pale as Sasuke's own, but with long, black hair that reached down to his waist tied up loosely at the end. He didn't answer Orochimaru, but was staring down at the Sasuke intensely. Sasuke couldn't see any sign of recognition in Neji's face. The seal must have done its job, completely wiping out selected memory threads in Neji's mind, brainwashed him for Orochimaru's quest for domination. Sasuke stared back at Neji with equal intensity.

"It… went according to plan. Who's the guy in the black hood?" Neji asked, his face displaying mild displeasure.

"His name?" Orochimaru looked back down at Sasuke, "That's what it is. Blackhood."

Blackhood? Sounded like a rookie from one of those US war films…

"He wants to become a general." Orochimaru continued.

"Oh? How so?" Neji asked, genuinely interested.

"I have decided that it'd be by fighting… you." Orochimaru said, pleased with his choice, causing Neji's eyes to widen for a brief second, "You are strong, General. If he beats you, he'd beat any of those fools." The lord pointed at the other four generals, who were nonetheless to happy about that comment.

"I am honored, my lord." Neji nodded.

The other generals seemed to sneer in disapproval of Neji's willingness to fight Sasuke, hence approving the 'shortcut'. But their mutters went unheard by Orochimaru as he stood up from his throne and clapped, "A battle then! How about right here and now?" He gestured to the large area Sasuke stood in the middle of, "I crave the scent of blood." The lord licked his lips, and Sasuke had to repress a shudder.

"As you wish, my lord." Neji consented almost amiably.

The general walked down the few steps before the throne, and was on the same level as Sasuke was. He kept right on staring at Sasuke, who merely watched his every move.

Neji took off his cape, revealing a well-built physique and a long sword at his side. He hadn't changed too much since Sasuke last saw him. Longer hair, taller, and he was significantly more muscular than before, but Neji had always been brawnier compared to the Uchiha.

Sasuke slid his own hood and cape off, wiping away as much blood as possible from his still bleeding hand, and revealing his own figure. Compared to Neji, he was very slightly shorter, considerably slimmer, and was wirily muscled rather than buff and burly. He whipped out the two shiny metal sickles that hung at his sides and took a stance, aware of Orochimaru's eyes on him. Neji himself unsheathed his sword.

With the faintest of nods, Neji made the first move.

Sasuke only managed to block the incoming swipe of Neji's sword in time with one of his sickles, and he countered with the other. Neji seemed to vanish but Sasuke himself was able to see the other moving towards his right. He brought his sickle up just in time before the sword could slice his face in half, and he brought the sickle in his left hand flying at Neji's arm – which retracted just in time. Sasuke did his best to ignore the pain in his hand, which still bore a large ugly gash right across the palm. Neji attacked again, noticing the injury and taking full advantage of it, swiping at Sasuke's left side as many times as possible.

"Battling me with an already injured hand… a fatal choice, Blackhood." Neji said as he attacked. Orochimaru smiled wider.

"Fatal for you, that is." Sasuke replied as he countered Neji's moves.

Sasuke had already received a number of cuts from Neji's weapon and blood seeped into his clothes on his various limbs, but nothing too major yet. He almost dropped his left sickle a couple of times too, and the whole thing was starting to annoy him. He tightened his grip on his blade but just at that moment, felt a sudden movement and Neji was out of his sight. He whirled around to check, but Neji appeared behind him once more, the taller boy's head just above his shoulder and an inch next to his own face, and a long arm wrapped around him to hold a blade at his neck. The sword's edge moved in quickly towards him and he had to push back into Neji's chest in order to avoid it, ducking down and rolling out of the way. His hand throbbed and he mentally winced, then regretted getting distracted as he realized Neji had launched himself at him once again.

The violent flurry of movements from both boys could hardly be seen by the audience, though the sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the hall. But Orochimaru could every move, every block. The boys spun around, jumped up and down, swipe, block, miss, clash. He could see it all. It was beautiful. A beautiful fight. Smooth sinuous movements as the two boys moved about one other, like two pieces of ribbon in the air wrapping around each other yet not quite touching.

There was a sudden unexpected jerk as the two boys stopped, a sword at Sasuke's neck, but a sickle in Neji's chest.

Orochimaru clapped his hands, "Beautiful. Just beautiful. Well done, Blackhood."

Sasuke took a few gulps of much needed air, and gently eased the sickle out in one fluid motion. Neji fell on one knee, breathing hard, a patch of red slowly growing on the left side of his chest, though his face showed no pain.

Orochimaru grinned, "Well done indeed…"

* * *

**(1) **This guy is just a random. No one significant. 

A/N: Yes. Well done. Congratulations to self for returning to ffnet after 4 long months. Hmm… this chapter turned out to be rather long, eh?

-sylver rain


	5. Private Reunion

I wrote this in about a couple of hours AND I beta-read it. But we all know how ineffective self-beta-reading is and RIGHT after writing it too. So excuse any mistakes I missed out on correcting. If you see words stuck together, it's probably ffnet doing it again.

I'm still trying to keep my word count from 2,500 to 3,000 for each chapter – hopefully this fic turns out to be one of my more substantial ones. 'Wedding Crashers' feels like a light appetizer compared to this one.

Warnings: I don't know why but I started swearing a lot in this one. I think Neji and Sasuke have that atmosphere around them… -.-

* * *

**The Prophecy Fulfilled**

**Chapter 5: Private Reunion**

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked lazily as he leaned against the wall, chewing on a stick of honey. He watched as Naruto carried a stack of four boxes, and he couldn't help eyeing the topmost one which was balanced precariously at the edge of the one under it.

"Oh wow, you're awake. And it's only noon!" Naruto exclaimed sarcastically, instigating a growl from Shikamaru, but the captain ignored him. "I'm moving boxes." Naruto said from behind his pile, carefully stepping his way out the apartment door and toward the hovercraft outside. The box right at the top finally fell off, and Shikamaru readily caught it before it hit the ground. Didn't need foresight to know that was going to happen.

"I know that, Captain Understatement. I want to know WHY." He offhandedly tossed the box into the cargo hold while Naruto gently placed his pile down.

"We're getting out of here. ASAP." Naruto said, slamming the door of the cargo hold down and locking it.

"We are?" Shikamaru asked in surprise, "Why? How come? Wh-" Then he glared, "WHAT did you do this time?"

Naruto made a face, "It's not me, asshole. It's Orochimaru. He wants us to go for our sealing. _Today._"

"Hmph. About time that snake bastard did. I'm surprised he held it off this long, actually." Shikamaru was suddenly serious, "How are you planning on getting pass the customs? No way we can get through the Dome."

The Dome was a giant upside-down bowl shaped electric field that enclosed the entire city of Curea. It was a giant transparent energy-sucking roof that although unseen, will drain the life of any motor-powered engine that sought to pass through it.

"The Dome… it runs on solar power, doesn't it?" Naruto more himself than Shika.

Shikamaru sighed and inquired through teeth gritting his honey stick, "WHAT are you thinking now? Escaping at night?"

"EH? Howja know I was thinking that?.!" Naruto gawked.

The genius strategist sighed again, "Just… never mind. The Dome, it may run on solar power in the day. But they store energy at the same time while it runs, so it doubtlessly has a battery pack to eat off as an all-night snack."

"Yea yea I know." Naruto exhaled in exasperation, then smiled cheerfully, "But it's alright! You'll think of something! I know you can!"

"WH- ME?.?" Shika nearly choked on air, then waved a fist at Naruto's back as the blonde walked off, "HEY, don't drag me into your scheming. Wait, it's not even YOUR scheming. It's pretty much all MINE!"

"If it wasn't for YOUR scheming, I'd have kicked you off my ship a loooong time ago. Ja ne!" Naruto waved back and continued strolling off.

"Stupid good-for-nothing bossy captain…" Shikamaru mumbled grudgingly while grinding the honey stick between his teeth, and turned to head off to the hovercraft's internet database.

"That stupid good-for-nothing bossy captain is _also_ the first one to ever shift your lazy ass into gear, Shika." Sakura walked up from around the corner of the apartment.

"I don't know why I'm still putting up with this team." Shika stopped in his tracks and sighed, "You heard everything?" he asked, not in the least surprised to see the navigator.

"Yep. I'll let Kiba and the rest know." She flipped out a phone to send them a message. "About time we left this rotten city, huh?" She smiled.

"Yea." Shikamaru replied, looking up at the eternally gray, polluted sky. And at the Dome, an electric shell unseen to the eyes of the living. "About time…" He spat the splintered honey stick out onto the gravel floor, and walked into the hovercraft, "Sakura, I need your help."

Sakura smiled smugly, "I know, I know… Research _is_ my expertise after all."

- - -

It was difficult to tell approximately what time of the day it was, especially since the room had no windows. But he really shouldn't complain. Time was provided by a clock hanging next to his bed. And air was supplied by a crummy ventilation shaft that didn't quite do its job, allowing stale air to circulate the room.

Sasuke hated stale air.

He got off the bed he had been sitting on for the pass two hours – just sitting there and thinking, evaluating, analyzing, and wondering. He looked at the clock. 9:27pm. He had skipped dinner and he still didn't feel hungry. He rechecked the bandages around his body. Damn that Neji. No mercy whatsoever. Sasuke realized that blood was seeping out his left palm again. He considered wrapping his hand with fresher bandages but the musty air was too much for him.

He walked out the room, only to be greeted by two guards outside. They were large in size, like most of the other guards in the palace.

"Sir, it's best to stay in your room. You have your sealing ceremony in about an hour."

There was a toilet in his room, so the toilet excuse had to go.

"I'm hungry now." Sasuke said nonchalantly, and the guards looked at each other.

"Umn, the kitchen is down the hall and to the left. Three doors down and on the left again." The other guard said, and they let him pass.

There were guards around though, and Sasuke wasn't really in the mood for both confrontation and conversation, so he passed their salutes by in complete ignorance.

Neji's room… was somewhere. He wasn't too sure where, but Neji had climbed his way up to pretty much third in command to Orochimaru, so his room was probably heavily guarded.

He was sure he had seen Neji, tending to his wounds after their fight, while walking into a particular hall way which had lion statues on both sides of the hall entrance, saying something about rest. Then he was led off by some guards to his own room.

Lion statues…

Sasuke walked between them as he entered that hallway, wondering if there was anything down the hall that would give a hint as to Neji's location. The whole castle was very dimly lit, but Sasuke knew that if he found it hard to see a guard without his Sharingan, the guards probably found it harder to see him.

He walked on the walls high above anyone passing below him, concealing his chakra discharge down to a minimum so that when a couple of guards pass by, one would think it belonged to the other.

It helped to see Neji walking out from behind two large doors, which had four guards outside patrolling the hallway. Neji stood at the door for a while, saying something to the guards, and Sasuke saw his chance to dash in from the top of the doors where no guard had their sights on. The saluting guards seemed nervous under the firm gaze of Neji's white eyes, and two of them followed Neji to wherever the Hyuuga genius was off to. The other two stayed behind to guard the room, unaware that something had already slipped pass them a long time ago.

The room was big, with a large bed in the middle and silken sheets and cushions adorning it. Sasuke dropped from the ceiling to the ground and snorted in mild jealously. His room wasn't half as beautiful. But then again this room didn't have a window either. He highly doubted any room in the palace having a window.

Sasuke didn't wait long before Neji returned, and Sasuke had been testing out the bed when his distant cousin walked in.

Neji closed the door and when he turned around, saw Sasuke rolling around on his bed. He glared in slight surprise.

"Blackhood?"

"Your honor." Sasuke sat up, his face expressionless.

"What are you doing here?" Neji swiftly drew his sword out.

"Just here to apologize for the wound on your chest. That's all." Sasuke whipped out his sickles.

-

"WHAT do you want now?" Orochimaru glared down at the blonde pilot.

Naruto was smiling apologetically, "Ano… Your highness, about the sealing tonight… My teammates are kind of scared about it, and so they didn't come. So I'm hoping I can get it done first before them, and then I'll go back and tell them it doesn't hurt…"

"But it does hurt." The Snake Lord smiled malevolently.

"It…it does?" Naruto swallowed hard. "W-well, who said I was going to tell them the truth? Eheh…" The boy shifted nervously.

"Fine. It doesn't make a difference anyway. I can always have them sealed tomorrow with or without their consent." Orochimaru walked down to where Sasuke's room was, "And since you're here, there's someone else of significance that is going to have his sealing today too. So nice to have it done with an acquaintance, eh?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Who?"

-

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Neji forced the blade closer to Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke pushed the sword away as best as he could with both his sickles, "I was checking up on Hinata. She ran from Tenten."

"Whatever. If you were a little less precise, you could have got my heart, asshole."

"My hand was killing me and you almost did too!" Sasuke growled back, "Couldn't you have given me a handicap or something? Ruthless bastard."

Neji and Sasuke stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Sasuke made sure to gaze as hard as possible. To make sure…

Neji felt a drip of blood fall on his wrist and slide down his fingers. He looked down at Sasuke's bleeding left hand and pulled his sword back. "Son of a bitch." He sheathed the sword and dropped it onto the floor, and went into the bathroom.

"There's a difference, you know?" Sasuke slid his sickles back at his side, "Between you and Hinata. Your eyes."

"Is there?" Neji replied from the bathroom. He didn't lower his volume so Sasuke gathered that the thick doors were sound-proof enough to prevent anyone outside from hearing their conversation.

"Yea. Hers were more… cloudy. It's so damn hard to tell since your eyes are pale enough already."

"That's why I try not to look at the higher-ups straight in the eye for too long when I speak to them." Sasuke could hear the sound of cupboard doors and drawers opening and closing from where Neji was. "The other generals think it's arrogance. Orochimaru thinks it's fear. I don't give a damn what anyone thinks."

"You haven't changed…" Sasuke smirked, sitting himself down on the soft bed, "But you went for sealing, right?"

"I did." Neji walked out with a first-aid kit and some clean bandages, and sat on the bed to next Sasuke, "Hand."

Sasuke held his left hand out, and Neji cleaned it for him. Sasuke was silent for a while before he finally asked, "Can I see the seal?"

Neji wasn't hesitant. He was wrapping Sasuke's hand halfway when he stopped and took his headset off.

Sasuke looked carefully at Neji's forehead. The Curean seal was there, alright. But so was the Hyuuga branch family's seal. "Heh." Sasuke smiled, "The seal at birth takes precedence, huh?"

"I begin to wonder if it really is as much a curse as I used to think it was." Neji managed a smile.

Sasuke was silent for a while, "I'm surprised no one noticed a difference between the branch and the main family members yet."

"The entire branch family's doing what I do too. Minimum eye contact. We also try to avoid standing next to those from the main house, where comparisons can be drawn."

"…Even Orochimaru hasn't attempted to do it at least once?"

"What. Look me in the eye?"

"Yea." Sasuke has a smirk on his face.

Neji looked up, "Nope. Like I said, he assumed it was _my_ fear of _him_."

Sasuke scoffed, "More like the other way round. You used to make Hinata cry just by looking at her."

Neji took his long cape off and let it fall to the floor, "I see where you're going. You're trying to insinuate that the Oh-so-mighty Uchiha Sasuke is much greater than the renowned lord Orochimaru just because he can stare me in the eyes and the lord can't. Cheh. Still as childish as ever, Sasuke."

"Well it's me and there was no way I was going to back down from that staring contest just now. Last time we had one, I won."

"Last time we had one, we were seven." Neji mentioned grimly, "And you didn't win."

"Wait, I didn't? Well _you_ surprisingly didn't. I remember that."

They both stared at each other for a while. "Shino." They sighed simultaneously.

"That bastard doesn't HAVE the ability to blink." Neji said bleakly. "And where is he now anyway?"

"High security prison."

"…" Neji stared, "What the fuck is he doing there?.?"

"The Uchiha massacre. He was fighting with us. They hadn't killed him for some reason. Kept him locked up there. Been there ever since then."

"THREE YEARS?"

"Ok, so I'm a little late. I haven't forgotten him, ok?" Sasuke sniffed, "They've got some top-notch security there. I've been trying to find a way in. Almost got the plan completely sorted out."

"Saying you're _a little_ _late_ is putting is lightly. _You_ sure haven't changed too." Neji sighed, "What are you missing?"

"Transport."

"At least you know _where _the damn prison is." Neji stared down at his lap, "Three years, huh? I almost lost my sense of time. Feels like I've been here forever…"

Sasuke didn't reply him on that. "So how have you been?"

"Tired. Cynic. Used. That's about it." He said and lied back on the bed. Sasuke wrapped up his hand with the rest of the bandages. Neji continued, "But rest of the branch family are scattered through out most of the palace. So I've got some connections in here."

"As long as you're safe." Sasuke said.

"Are you kidding me?" Neji raised a brow, "I've been leading so many wars… almost died too many times. Fucking tough to keep casualties to a minimal." He sighed in mental exhaustion.

Sasuke chuckled. "You know, you almost had me going at the start. The whole 'Yes my Lord, I would be honored to kill Blackhood!' " Sasuke faked Neji's demeanor. "Who knew you could act that well?" He scratched at the lines of dried wounds scattered over his arm, "And all these cuts… you didn't have to carry your act on _that _far."

Neji looked up at Sasuke from the silk bed covering, "Oh, those? I wasn't acting."

"Huh?"

"I was genuinely annoyed with you. For letting Hinata-."

"HEY. You know about the bounties too."

Neji feigned a thoughtful visage, "Oh that's right. Yea I do know about them. Well then that probably means I did it all for fun."

Sasuke spared Neji a despairing look, "You… really haven't changed…"

A knock on the door sent both of them on the alert. They couldn't hear who was on the other side, but the door knob slowly turned.

"Shit." Neji looked and sounded anxious.

Sasuke smirked, "Don't worry bro. I got this one covered…"

-

Orochimaru pushed the door open, "General Neji, Blackhood is missing and I was wondering if you knew where he was… Oh."

The Snake Lord looked at the scene in Neji's room. The 15 year old general was on the bed, a young, very beautiful, very naked girl lying on the bed beneath him, dragging Neji down toward her, and her slender fingers having pulled his uniform zipper halfway down his upper body, enough to reveal most of his chest and abdomen. Neji looked positively surprised – be it at Orochimaru's intrusion.

Naruto curiously popped his head in. Only he knew all to well who and what the girl really was, "GAH!.?.! Y-you… M-my… Y-y-you…" He spluttered incoherently.

"My apologies, General, for having interrupted your intimate moment. I'll return later." Orochimaru wasn't as shocked as Naruto. Generals having women in their rooms weren't something he hardly came across. Quite normal and very frequent, actually. "But I'm a little surprised though, General Neji. I have never seen or heard of you taking a lady into your chambers. And such a beauty too."

The dark haired girl smiled respectfully, "Greetings, Orochimaru-sama."

Neji coughed in a mix of embarrassment and something else, "Thank you for your consideration, you highness."

Orochimaru left the room, and Naruto blindly followed, still gasping and choking.

-

The thick chamber doors closed and Sasuke switched back to his normal self in a puff of smoke.

"What the hell was that?" Neji asked, a little angry and little mortified at the same time.

"Just this jutsu I got off that blonde from just then."

"Naruto?"

"You know him?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

Sasuke sighed, "Long story."

"He's this bounty hunter that came in a few months ago and claimed to be the best in the world. Said he could catch… you." Neji looked down at Sasuke in confusion.

Sasuke sighed again, "Like I said, long story. He's aberrant, but he's alright so far. He knows enough about me but hasn't sold me out yet, for some reason."

"Strange. I thought he wanted that bounty. $700 million _is_ a lot."

"I don't know. But I got a feeling about him…" Sasuke suddenly shifted uncomfortably, "Umn, Neji?"

"What?"

"You can get off me now."

* * *

A/N: Yea, I know Neji and Sasuke were uncharacteristically chatty, but they're childhood pals so let them converse!.!

And one more thing I'd like to apologize for is the usage of full stops between exclamation and question marks. Ffnet doesn't like it when they are together and who am I to tell ffnet what to do? Nya.

I have a very vague idea of where this fic is going. I'm really just thinking up things as I go along. GAH I wrote this one after a long period of writer's block. Hope the chapter was… satisfactory.

-sylver


End file.
